What is the maximum altitude and speed a helicoptor can fly at?

Question

whether they can reach clouds

Answer 1

The highest speed for a helicopter is about 200 mph by a Westland Super Lynx.

Helicopters have made it to the base camp at 16000 ft on Mt Everest though they may have gone higher. The trick is that the helicopter is flying close enough to the ground for Ground Effect to supplement their lift. This means flying basically at tree top height on a very high mountain.

Answer 2

Well I am assuming you mean the best of the best HC, as they are not all created equal.

This being said, its classified and owned by the military.

P.S. HC's don't really fly, they beat the air into submission..lol

J.

Answer 3

Altitude - 6,000 metres (approx 20,000 feet)

Speed - 150 Knots +

Answer 4

Most helicopters have a service ceiling of about 18,000 feet or so. There are reports of a successful helicopter landing at 29,000 feet, but that's disputed.

Typical maximum helicopter speeds are around 80 miles per hour for utility helicopters and around 130-160 miles per hour for high performance helicopters.

The limiting factor is the problem of a retreating blade stall and the need to keep the rotor tips below the speed of sound. On the rotor, there will be one side that's moving forward with the helicopter and one side that's moving backwards relative to the helicopter. Both sides have problems as forward speed increases.

On the forward side, its speed relative to the air goes up as the helicopter speeds up. The sum of its forward and rotational speeds cannot exceed the speed of sound or the drag and aerodynamic forces would be catastrophic.

On the retreating side, its speed relative to the air goes down as the helicopter speeds up. If it gets too slow, it won't produce enough lift. To compensate, the helicopter's mechanism will increase the blade pitch to keep the helicopter from tipping over. Eventually, the blade will pitch so much that it will stall, causing the helicopter again to tip over.